Ange Postecoglou needs to find an answer to Son Heung-min’s upcoming departure at the beginning of January as the Tottenham captains heads off to the Asian Cup
The 4-1 victory against Newcastle United on Sunday may mark a turning moment in Richarlison’s Tottenham career. The Brazilian was at the double against the Magpies, unable to get going since his £60 million arrival from Everton due to injury and a lack of game action.
Having previously scored his other five goals with his head, his brace was the first occasion he had scored with his feet for Tottenham. The 26-year-old was more like his former self, simply appearing so much sharper and freer in his play after eventually having surgery in November for a persistent groin ailme
His brace marked the first time he had scored with his feet for Tottenham after he had previously scored his other five goals with his head. With his play simply looking so more crisper and freer after ultimately undergoing surgery in November for a prolonged groin problem, the 26-year-old was more like the player he used to be.
It may have come as a surprise to some that he was included in the Tottenham starting lineup so soon after his injury comeback, but it was undoubtedly a huge surprise to many that he filled the center of the front three as Son Heung-min moved to the left. It did pay off, though, as Ange Postecoglou clarified to the media following the game the precise reason behind his decision.
The 58-year-old stated, “I think that’s Richy’s best position, through the middle, and he’s healthy now.” “After a few weeks with Sonny, the majority of our opportunities and chances have gone to the wide players.
“We still have the finest finisher, so I felt that having him back on the left would open up more scoring opportunities for us. As I mentioned before, Sonny set the example early on, and I believe the other guys took cues from him.”
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In addition to giving Richarlison more confidence to play in his favorite role and score two goals, the move gave everyone a preview of what to expect over the next month or so as Tottenham attempts to negotiate a difficult stretch without three important players. Son Heung-min, Yves Bissouma, and Pape Matar Sarr will all be leaving to play for their respective countries as the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations get underway in 2024.
That’s going to leave Tottenham with a big hole in their front three, one which could be there for an entire month if South Korea go all the way and reach the final of the competition. As Son is such a pivotal figure for Tottenham and has contributed this season with ten goals and four assists as well as everything else he offers on the pitch, Postecoglou needs to find a way of ensuring that his Spurs team can cover the numbers that Son brings to the table during his absence.
Yeah look it’s still a challenge. We’ve still got eight out injured from our first-team squad, all of whom have contributed. Apart from maybe Ash Phillips who hasn’t played a lot. The rest have all contributed so it’s still a bit of a challenge for us. It’s not just the games it affects. It affects training. When we had all the guys fit at the start of the year, the level of our training was a lot higher, we could be a lot more intense with what we do. It’s a bit different now.
However, as you pointed out, it was nice to have Richy and Pape back last week, and it really helped us to invigorate the team. We’ll hopefully lose players to overseas commitments between now and the new year, but other than that, that’s pretty much where we’ll be for the foreseeable future.